Valparaiso University
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Does the institution have strategies in place to safely dispose of all hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste and seek to minimize the presence of these materials on campus?:
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Chemical waste: We run experiments on a micro or low-material level to reduce the consumption of chemicals and creation of chemical waste.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
We collect chemical waste in labeled containers and utilize an external company for disposal.
For other types of hazardous waste (biohazard, sharps, etc) we use Stericycle for disposal.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
We do not have any knowledge of an incident related to this in the past 3 years.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
We have used the Quartzy inventory system to keep track of chemicals in the chemistry department but might be transitioning to another system.
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
A brief description of the electronic waste recycling program(s), including information about how electronic waste generated by the institution and/or students is recycled:
We collect mostly IT related e-waste and store it centrally. Our recycling is then picked up on a monthly basis. More information on what happens post-pickup available here: https://tech-recyclers.com/technology-recyclers-recycle-computers/
We also go around at the end of the year and check dumpsters for any electronic items such as TVs or laptops and remove these and send them for perper recycling. However, there is not a formal program to collect any student-produced electronics.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.